Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Apple Inc.(NASDAQ:AAPL) is on track to launch a
MacBook Pro which has a 13 inch Retina display, research firm NPD DisplaySearch
said on Tuesday.

Production of the computer is expected to start in the
fourth quarter, it said.

Analyst Richard Shim told CNET that Apple will be
launching its second Retina display MacBook Pro offering later this year,
reiterating earlier reports suggesting the laptop would be released in fall
2012.

According to Shim the portable computing device would
have a screen resolution of 2,560 x 1600 pixels, somewhat lesser than the 2880
x 1800 pixels resolution in the 15 inch version.

The pricing of the laptop is expected to be somewhere
between the 15 inch MacBook Pro which has Retina display and the 13 inch model
without Retina display.

Shim said that the final price of the device is yet to
be decided.

The new MacBook Pro is expected to release only after
Apple launches its iPad Mini which is expected somewhere towards the end of
October.

There were reports in August that 13-inch Retina
displays bound for an as-yet-unannounced MacBook were being produced, with
initial output volumes supposedly higher than the 15-inch model, AppleInsider
said.

"If true, Apple is preparing for an onslaught of
orders as the current MacBook Pro with Retina display saw stock shortages when
it was first announced in June."